This is all due to the merger of MyTravel and Thomas Cook.

Have you spoken to them to see whether they are prepared to let you cancel ? Unfortunately, as you say the new flight times dont class as a significant change because they are under 12 hours.

Alternatively, would you consider a change of holiday ? They may let you do this.

Kath HT Admin

HI,I have the same problem with holiday booking ,done it by phone to travel A Inc to tunisia, been bumped from day flight with my travel to night flight with thomas cook,have spent a small fortune calling ,only to be disconnected at final hurdle saying all staff are busy, booking firm not interested they say contact t cook then hang up ,a disgusted Maxie. no more phone bookings for me,anything I can do to resolve this ?

Hi Rachie

I also had a few problems with my booking for Aug 08 due to the merger and flight changes but fortunately for me this seems to have resolved itself (for the moment!). I think the way that myt/tc are treating their customers at the moment is just awful. They will tell you that as the changes are within the 12 hours then tough basically. They will probably let you change your holiday to something else within the TC group, assuming that you can find a suitable alternative but if the prices have now gone up which they probably will have done they will tell you to pay the difference! I would keep on at them, perhaps see if they can offer you a late check out room for the inconvenience they are putting you and your family through. My advice when you try to call them is phone dead on 9 am when the lines have just opened, I seemed to get through quicker then.

Good Luck

Nic

HI ,Thanks, will try early calls but then vote with my feet,It has cost them my gambia break and travellers cheques etc. I will only get messed about once, plenty of diy holidays,then if anything goes wrong its my problem,thanks anyway,cheers maxie

Yes Maxie I totally agree. I'll definately go DIY next booking and think that they must be losing an awful lot of business because of the way they are dealing with people.

Hi Rachie

If they won't allow you to cancel/amend etc you could ask them to give you a late check out from your room as a gesture of goodwill or if that fails, contact the hotel direct and do it with them, there may be a small charge but its better than hanging around in reception for hours.

Louby

Nic/Maxie

DIY can be hit by this sort of messing about as well. I booked flght only with MyTravelLite and had similar problems. As a very rough rule airlines which are off shoots of package companies (or mostly charter to those companies) seem more prone to do this than those which are solely scheduled carriers.

I totally agree that DIY can be hit and miss too. We booked flights for next July with GB Airways (A British Airways franchise) and they are in the process of being taken over by Easyjet which has caused a lot of uncertainty and confusion for those with scheduled flights with GB so it's not necessarily safe to avoid the charter companies!

Another rule of thumb to consider is that NOTHING is guaranteed more than 6 months in advance and very little more than 4 months. The problem with tour ops airlines in particular is that they insist on showing flights on their systems when not only have they not got an approved air traffic control slot but their masters in package sales haven't even decided whether they want it. And when plans do get changed they don't always update the system as fast as we mght expect so people can book flights which are already wrong.

Scheduled carriers are slightly more organised, if they are showing flights well in advance it tends to be those which have run for a while and have rights to the slot. But that doesn't stop them deciding to not operate the flight for business reasons. There are various posts on this site with people getting frustrated at waiting for easyjet to open reservations, but at least with them you can have reasonable confidence that once a flight has finally become available easyjet do want to run it and have got permission.

And it's not just airlines. I've had a hotel take a booking and then decide it didn't want to open at that time of year. In that case they offered to transfer me to a neighbouring hotel which turned out to be very good - unlike the one that those who had booked with a package operator got moved to without being offered a choice.

HI,I AGREE DIY CAN GO WRONG,point is though if you book sensible times ,days,destinations etc any costs you incur booking are usually less than tour ops. and OH the feeling sailing past reps to a taxi and much shorter journey to destinations.while the tourists are herded onto coaches. In banjul MY taxi will have been waiting an hour,I can stop off where I want for a malta (guiness without alcohol,)odds and ends etc while the tourists are still being given the hard sell,
I have booked at least 10 diys from flight only to all inc with an electric wheelchair,never a problem. well of in 20 days to Gambia chill cheers maxie